How to write a literature review for a research article

1. How to write a literature review for a research article April 17 2008 ©2008 Richard Watson Todd

2. Writing the literature review • What is the purpose of a literature review? • Does a ‘literature review’ have to review literature? • Theoretically v. practically justified research

3. Quantity of references • Theoretically based research • e.g. Applied Linguistics • 40-100 references per article • Practically based research • e.g. Forum • 5-20 references per article • Quantity of references is not a basis for deciding on article type or evaluating research

4. Justifying your research • YOUR argument is more important than the literature • References to the literature are used to show that YOUR argument is valid • The literature only takes precedence over YOUR argument when you are explaining necessary background knowledge

5. One process for writing a literature review • Make YOUR rough argument • Read 3 or 4 key texts of relevance • Remake YOUR rough argument • Identify points needing support • Find references covering those points • Match references to YOUR argument • Revise your argument if necessary

6. Finding references • Key resources • BALD • Google Scholar • Scopus • Follow up on references in articles you read

10. Principles for the literature review • Do not be biased (it’s not persuasive) • Present both sides of an argument and show why your side is more important • Acknowledge problems, weaknesses and assumptions • Mix argument with explanations • Write at the level of your audience • Move from general to specific • Use a more specific heading than ‘Literature Review’

11. Citation styles • Sentence-initial citations • Prensky (2004) argues that mobile phones have become a part of most students’ identities. • Clause-final citations • Mobile phones have become a part of most students’ identities (Prensky, 2004). • Rough rule: 80+% of citations should be clause-final • Sentence-initial citations are used mainly for in-depth explanations of theory

12. Citation styles • Use multiple citations • Most extant mobile phone-based applications in language learning concern discrete points of language. These include SMS messages sent to students of the a-word-a-day variety (Chinnery, 2006; Lu, 2006; McNicol, 2004; Prensky, 2004; Song and Fox, 2005), mini-lessons either sent via SMS or accessible through the web (Chinnery, 2006; Prensky, 2004; Thornton and Houser, 2004, 2005), short closed-ended quizzes available through SMS, the web or downloads (Attewell, 2005; Chinnery, 2006; McNicol, 2004; Uther et al., 2005), and a downloadable game (Kam et al., 2008; Marshall, 2007). Other applications include using mobile phones to talk with tutors (Chinnery, 2006) and classroom applications such as a medium for information-gap tasks and recording students' speech for later analysis (Watson Todd, 2006).

13. An example: Mobile Mazes • Background • Mobile Mazes (MM) are a mobile phone assisted language learning (MPALL) game that Ajarn Saowaluck and I designed • We conducted interviews and think aloud protocols with users to investigate: • motivations in downloading and using MM • where and when to use MM • technical issues

14. Justifying research into Mobile Mazes • What do we need to justify? • Value of making an MPALL game • Value of Mobile Mazes as an MPALL game • Value of investigating certain aspects of MM

15. Value of making an MPALL game • Ubiquity of mobile phones • Importance of mobile phones to students • Potential of mobile phones as a language learning device • BUT dangers of technology-driven innovations

16. Value of Mobile Mazes as an MPALL game • Previous work in MPALL • Drawbacks with previous applications • What needs to be improved • Note: This section will be stronger with a coherent framework • CALL in the 1980s

18. Value of investigating certain aspects of Mobile Mazes • Difficulty of investigating learning from MPALL • Need to confirm benefits of MPALL identified in previous research • Need to fill gaps in MPALL literature • Need to investigate key features of MM (e.g. motivating gameplay) • Lead to Research Questions

19. Things to look for • Emphasis on literature v. emphasis on own argument • Arguments for and against • Sentence-initial v. clause-final references • Justifying MPALL v. justifying Mobile Mazes v. justifying aspects to investigate

20. Purposes of paragraphs • Intro: Overview of article + justification of why MPALL

21. Purposes of paragraphs • MPALL: • Defining area (MPALL) • Review of previous MPALL • Analysis of previous MPALL • Criticisms of previous MPALL

22. Purposes of paragraphs • MPALL and 80s CALL • Introduction to section • Criticisms of 80s CALL • Parallels between MPALL and 80s CALL based on criticisms • Directions for improving 80s CALL • Applying directions to MPALL

23. Purposes of paragraphs • Mobile Mazes • Justification of MPALL game • Describing MM • Describing MM and limitations • Limitations of MM

24. Purposes of paragraphs • Investigating MM • Why not investigate learning outcomes • Justifying investigation of motivations (RQ1) • Justifying investigation of when/where MM is used (RQ2) • Justifying investigation of technical issues (RQ3)